After breaking the stereotype of a successful fast bowler in Australia, the “not so tall” Nathan Ellis is set to make another big milestone in his fast-growing career.
After making a remarkable journey from club cricket to international cricket in less than 24 months, the first bowler to take a hat-trick on his T20 International debut is looking to learn from the best in his maiden IPL outing.
Selected as a replacement for fellow Australian Riley Meredith in the Punjab Kings team, Ellis wants to pick the brains of teammate and one of his favorite bowlers, Mohammed Shami as well as chat with “the best yorker”, Jasprit Bumrah. hopes too. and the “aggressive” Mohamed Siraj.
Speaking to PTI from Dubai, Ellis described the phase in which he made his international debut before landing an IPL deal.
“It’s one of those things that you dream about growing up but you know it’s never a reality and it’s never like you’re going to do it for sure. So arriving on that Australia tour Being able to do it was like a dream come true.
“And then I wasn’t really expecting to get a game to get a game and the results that came from it were amazing and still don’t really look real. And then obviously with Punjab coming into the IPL. To get a chance
Referring to the events of the past one month, he said, “It (playing in IPL) is something that I have even dreamed of.”
Following his hat-trick in Bangladesh, Ellis was named as one of the reserves in Australia’s squad for the T20 World Cup, which follows the IPL in the United Arab Emirates.
Having moved to the UAE with Big Bash franchise Hobart Hurricanes three years ago, Ellis is aware of the circumstances and says the IPL stint is bound to provide him with a valuable experience.
“I really don’t have any particular expectations (from their first IPL). I am ready to play against the best players because this is the best T20 tournament in the world. So I am very prepared that it is going to be tough cricket,” said the death overs specialist.
“Also I am really excited to talk to Mohammed Shami. I haven’t spoken to him yet but he has been one of my favorite cricketers.”
What about players from other teams?
“Bumrah is arguably the best T20 bowler in the world if not all formats in general. I would love to be able to catch him and pick his Brian if I get the chance. He is definitely the best yorker bowler in the world.
“So I would love to pick his brain, as well as Siraj’s. I love the way he has come on the scene and how aggressive and how much energy he brings to the table, I think it’s something That’s what I tried to do as well.
Ellis, who has a very effective yorker apart from other T20 skills.
Ellis picked up the game by watching the likes of Brett Lee and Andy Bickell on television. Ever since he started playing junior cricket, he was reminded that he was not the typical tall fast bowler that Australian cricket is known for.
However, the six feet tall bowler took all the criticism to his level as he just wanted to play the game he loved.
“Height is something that I have always had to deal with in junior cricket, so far, especially in Australia in Australia being six foot five, tall, bouncy.
“I’ve always had to break it down but the simple fact is that at the end of the day I love playing cricket. And my mantra has always been that you know that if you’re performing and you’re taking wickets, they’re going to take you on.” Can’t ignore forever, whether you’re 8 feet tall and you’re five feet tall.”
He may have found instant success as a death bowler, Ellis feels he has the game for all formats.
In the shortest format, he mostly lies on yorkers, cutters and slower deliveries to keep the batsman guessing. It can be difficult to bowl in the death but Ellis loves a challenge.
“It’s not a role that many people look forward to because it’s tough, and you have more bad days than good days. But I really, really enjoy the challenge. I really like me vs. I enjoy batsmen’s fight.”
“I also like it because you are trying to be one step ahead of the batsman and structuring different types of balls and different variations which is the crux of being a T20 bowler.”
When asked to sum up the last 24 months, Ellis said: “I’m just trying to soak in as much as I can, because I feel like it’s really quick and I’m worried it’s going to be really quick.” So I’m really trying to soak it all up.”
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